________________________ Spreading the Love of Reading One Book at a Time _______________________
This blog is for anyone whoever picked up a book and couldn't put it down. It's for anyone who loves to read and reads often. It's for anyone like me who's been seduced by a book and can't wait to discuss it.

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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Design Your Own Perfect Valentine's Day Date Reading Challenge

I created the following challenge in my Goodreads group Nothing, but Reading Challenges.

Your Invitation:

Dear Members,

We know Valentine's Day can be rough. We've all been the seemingly "only one" without a date at one time or another for this very "couple" oriented holiday. So we decided this year would be different. No one is going dateless on our watch, so here is your personal invite to spend Valentine's Day with Your Perfect Dream Date.

Oh, and here is your official personal invitation and a taste of what is to be. We hope you enjoy:

You saw him/her from a distance across the crowded room. You sighed to yourself and thought, "Wow! He's/She's everything I've ever dreamed of in a man/woman. You follow their gaze to see what lucky woman/man would catch his eye. Probably someone equally as good looking. And then as his/her eyes did a quick scan of the room they locked with yours. Thinking he/she could not possibly be looking your way, you glance around you looking for the true person who's caught his/her gaze. Then he/she slowly makes his/her way across the room. He/She heads in your direction, stopping mere inches away from you and gives you a sheepish grin that makes your heart go all a flutter and your knees weak. Then, with the most beautiful, perfect voice you've ever heard he/she speaks your name and says, "Will you spend the day with me?"

This is your fantasy and you can make it go any way you wish. The following are examples of what you can choose, but please feel free to improvise and change them to fit you. Make it your own. These are meant to help guide you to your very own Happily Ever After, and it's your turn to write your own fantasy date. Keep in mind you may use one book to cover more than one category.

The main things to keep in mind: - Who will your date be? - What will you wear? - Where will you go Paris, Venice, stay home, etc?
- When - will your date take place in the present, future, or past? - What will you do- go to the movie, opera, bowling, etc? - Will your date present you with a/any gift(s) - flowers, chocolates, jewelry? - How will your date end? Design your date's happy ending - good night kiss, proposal, in bed, etc.

This challenge will be adding a new twist because this will, if you wish, contain a bit of a writing challenge as well. Don't worry, it's nothing that is too complicated, but if you feel a bit intimidated feel free to use the standard challenge layout instead. But if you've been waiting for something to stimulate the author in you, this may be your ultimate challenge. You can be the author of your own love story. What could be more fun. Okay, after realizing it, it would be more fun if it actually became real, but hey, I'm not a genie. Darn it! lol

Example of how you could write your own romance reading challenge via me, Lisarenee. You can use this as your base or create your own:

Description of my date:
He introduced himself as fill in the blank. He fill in the blank (List the name of the book you used)

Future/Past Possible lead in sentence:
As I took the hand he offered me everything got blurry and I felt as if I was floating and everything was speeding up around me. After a few minutes of sheer panic, everything started to slow down and came to a stop. As I looked around me I saw fill in the blank. I had traveled to the year fill in the blank. (list name of book which you will read for this event)

My Outfit:
I wore fill in the blank. Which was highly unsuitable. I would have to find new clothes. (list name of book which you will read that has outfit on the cover or description in the book)

What we did:
He/she took me to fill in the blank where we fill in the blank. (list name of book which you will read and how it relates to the above - remember depending on how fast you read you could do several different things)
Later that evening...

My Happy Ending:
He walked me to my door and pulled be toward him. He gazed into my eyes and fill in the blank.(list name of book which you will read and how it relates to the above)

Example of the above filled in:

He introduced himself as Hardy Cates. He was a Blue-Eyed Devil ('Blue-Eyed Devil' by Lisa Kleypas)

As I took the hand he offered me everything got blurry and I felt as if I was floating and everything was speeding up around me. After a few minutes of sheer panic, everything started to slow down and came to a stop. As I looked around me I saw Victorian England. I had traveled to the year 1852. ('Victorian England' by L. C. B. Seaman)

I wore Tight-Fittin' Jeans. Which was highly unsuitable. I would have to find new clothes.('Tight-Fittin' Jeans' by Mary Lynn Baxter)
Mary Lynn Baxter )

He took me to The Lightkeeper's Ball where we We Danced All Night. ('The Lightkeeper's Ball' by Colleen Coble and 'We Danced All Night' by Barbara Cartland )

Later that evening...

He walked me to my door and pulled be toward him. He gazed into my eyes And Then He Kissed Me. ('And Then He Kissed Me' by Patti Berg)

Books used:

The second way to go about this is to use quotes from books--just make sure to give the book and author credit where credit is due. So, if you'd like to use a quote from your favorite author to describe your date feel free to do so.

Example of how to use Book Quote:

What to wear:
I wore a "radiant red gown" of "deep scarlet" with "silver embroidery". (Page 285 - 286; Flawless by Carrie Lofty|)

Date for the evening:"He said his name was Hardy Cates. Hardy was "a compelling figure. He was good-looking, handsome if you overlooked the crook in a nose that had once been broken. His dark brown hair, as thick and lustrous as mink fur, was cut in short layers. But it was the eyes that seized my attention, blue even at a distances, a volatile color you could never forget once you'd seen it." (page 1(?); Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas)

When and Where:"He grabbed my hand and "the world shifted on its axis beneath (MY) feet. (I) stumbled, and suddenly (I)..
Couldn't...
Stop...
Falling..."
We ended up in Dunnottar, Scotland and the year was 1314."
(page 23; The Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning)
*

What we did:"The walz was still considered shocking among the older members of society, yet it had been widely accepted for years. However, not many mamas allowed their newly minted debutant daughters to partake in the seductive dance.
(HE) led (ME) through the crush to join the other dancers and pulled (ME) into his arms. (I) tried to keep from getting too intimate.(HE) refused to keep a respectable distance between (US). His hand on the curve of (MY) back kept (US) together." (page 166; The Accidental Courtesan by Cheryl Ann Smith)*

Later that evening....

My happily ever after:'(HE) cupped (MY) small, serious face in his hands, his thumbs skimming the trace of tears beneath (MY) eyes. His gaze caressed (ME). "Are we to live in sin, love, or will you finally agree to marry me?"

(HE) laughed quietly. "We'll Manage around that. If you promise to love me."...

(WE) undressed with haste, tugging at each other's clothes with a clumsiness wrought of desire and fervor.' And dot dot dot (need to keep this PG rated)
(Page 354 of 'Mine Till Midnight' by Lisa Kleypas)*

*Please note that I substituted pronouns so 'she' became 'I', for example, to fit what I wanted.

This is a totally versatile challenge and you can use book covers in descriptions. You can write it like a dear diary entry too and say:

Dear Diary,

Tonight I met someone and his name is Duncan. Here is a picture of him: